There is an existing need for packaging for storing and transporting valuable articles, for instance, currency and negotiable instruments. For example, with respect to currency and negotiable instruments, the risk of theft or shortages when such articles are transported from depositors to banks or vice versa is an ongoing problem. Many companies presently use cash security bags that are canvas with locking means that can easily be entered without detection.
Some present-day cash and security bags made from plastic, such as the one described in Reissue Patent No. 33,173, include a full-length pouch for receiving currency and a window pouch for negotiable instruments or deposit slips superimposed over a portion of the currency pouch. The drawback of these types of bags is that access to the currency pouch can be gained by entering the window pouch and cutting a small slit in the underlying currency pouch. Generally, entry into the window pouch can be accomplished rather easily and in an undetectable manner because the seal is resealable and thus not tamper evident. Currency can then be removed through the slit. This unauthorized entry and removal of currency can go undetected because the slit in the currency pouch can be covered by the checks or deposit slips in the window pouch.
Another security bag is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,040 to Gurewitz. The security bag described in Gurewitz includes an upper pouch that opens in one direction and a lower pouch that opens in the opposite direction. According to Gurewitz, both pouches are provided with closure flaps that include pressure-sensitive adhesive that is generally regarded as permanent so that any unauthorized attempts to open the pouch will be evidenced visually by tearing or distortion of the closure or the pouch wall to which the closure is sealed. When the bag of Gurewitz is filled with currency in one pouch and negotiable instruments in another pouch, it is inevitable that one of the closure flaps will be under a load created by the articles within the inverted pouch due to the force of gravity. Unless a secure seal is provided for both closures, it is possible that the particular pouch may inadvertently open and lose its contents. While the permanent seal on both pouches helps to address the problem described above, users of security bags often desire to have a resealable closure on the pouch that is to receive negotiable instruments so that inadvertently omitted instruments or receipts can be placed in the pouch after it has been previously sealed. Furthermore, with security bags that include pouches opening in different directions and closure flaps with differing orientations, it is normally necessary to p tint instructions in two different orientations for the convenience of the user.
Security bags similar to those described in the Gurewitz patent are manufactured by processes that include relatively complex steps of folding a single sheet of plastic in order to provide pouches opening in opposite directions. Generally, it is desirable to avoid complex steps in manufacturing processes in order to reduce the risk of downtime for servicing and troubleshooting.
With the large volumes of cash and negotiable instruments that are exchanged between depositors and banks, there is an ongoing need to reduce the risk of theft and shortages. Since there is always a question as to who is to blame for such thefts or shortages, both the depositors and the banks have a vested interest in reducing such activities. Accordingly, there is a desire for a security bag that is secure, user-friendly, and manufactured by a reliable and cost-effective process.